Andy came home later than planned. The squad had finally received a lead on a dirtbag they'd be trying to track down for the past few days and the lieutenant couldn't find a way to get out of it.
When Andy was finally able to go home, he unlocked the door and the house was quiet; It almost made him worried he'd be in trouble for showing up almost an hour late, without texting her or letting her know.
Just as he was taking off his shoes a voice called from the kitchen. "Andy, is that you? You're late."
He turned the corner, rubbing the back of his head, trying to think of a good excuse. "I know hon, I'm sorry I should have texted…"
Once he took in the sight in front of him, he lost all words that were going through his head at the time. Virginia was seated across the room in the blue dress he'd watched her try on a few weeks before; the blue so vibrant it complimented every curve of her body. If possible, she looked even better in it this time around. She was glowing!
Her hair was down, held in loose curls that were billowing over the v-neck of her dress, that wasn't leaving a whole lot to Andy's imagination. In fact, his mind was starting to wish they could ditch the party and stay home and have their own fun.
"Wow, you look gorgeous."
She still blushed when he complimented her. She hated it, but he loved watching her get flustered. How the corners of her mouth would tug at her lips and she couldn't resist the half smile, showing she wasn't sure how to respond to how lucky she was for having a man like Andy.
"Well don't just stand there. Go get ready!"
_ AC _
They arrived at the party a little late, but Virginia's subordinate -who happened to be well on their way to blackout drunk- welcomed them with open arms, quite literally. As much as Virginia hated hugs, she didn't resist. Andy was happy she was finally starting to feel at home with the hospital.
Once they stepped in the door, they were able to see just how many people had managed to show up. It looked like everyone and their uncle had come. Based on the number of people within the general vicinity alone, Andy was trying to calculate how long they'd be there before Virginia got tired of the fake compliments and small talk. He couldn't lie, he hated this kind of stuff himself. He hadn't been to house parties like this since he was in college. The memories of bottomless kegs, tons of nameless women and the smell of 1970s pot made his grip around Virginia tighten. The good ole days were long gone and he was starting to wish he hadn't talked Virginia into this in the first place. He didn't smell cannabis but he had a feeling this party was no good.
Virginia pulled Andy closer and whispered in his ear. "That's the alcoholic intern I told you about."
Of all he stories he'd heard from Virginia, he was surprised this guy had even made it to first year, let alone owning a house as big as this. Then again, he supposed with all the money Virginia and him had saved over the years combined, they could probably afford something similar.
"Okay." Andy turned to face her, taking her hands in his. "We stay for an hour, have a few drinks, maybe make some light conversation and then head home. Deal?"
Her hands were already growing sweaty in his, just from the thought of having to socialize outside of work, without hospital protocol and medical jargen.
She nodded her head in agreement, and they began making their way to the kitchen to find drinks. A few kids looking like they were fresh out of college came stumbling in the front door smelling like Woodstock. Andy was off duty, and as long as there wasn't any trouble, he'd turn a blind eye.
Someone who Virginia recognized from the hospital offered to make her a martini and Andy settled for a cold beer.
Virginia look down a the looked a the drink in her hand and panicked. How was she supposed to get rid of it without being too obvious. She couldn't drink this knowing there was a fair chance that it would go to their baby. Maybe she could just hold it in her hand for a while and set it down before anyone noticed it was still full.
Virginia spoke with a few nurses and by the time they had been dragged into the backyard with the other twenty-some year old hooligans, half an hour had already passed and Andy's beer was gone.
"Virginia, you haven't touched your martini. You don't like it?"
Grasping on to any excuse offered at this point she nodded her head. "Too dry." she lied.
Andy took the glass from her hand and set it on the counter. He saw her eyes wondering and figured she was probably uncomfortable. Maybe they should take a second alone, and away from the chaos. "Why don't we go outside and get some fresh air?"
He took her hand and led her away from the kitchen and into a bigger room that she couldn't identify, based on the large crowd of people. They followed where the breeze was blowing in and were lead to a large balcony, that was overlooking the driveway, where they'd drove in.
"Let me find you something else to drink. We still have another half hour; It'll help calm your nerves."
"No!" her response came rather quickly, and she needed to play it cool.
"You really don't have to," but before she could finish Andy gave her a quick kiss and headed back inside.
Virginia looked around, and found herself standing alone, with the exception of a couple interns making out on the opposite end of the balcony. She hadn't seen one of the other attendings so far, or even the residents. Did they even show up, or was this something to be avoided, based on the prom night behaviour that she'd seen so far?
A finger tapped her shoulder making her jump. She spun around and the second she recognized who it was, she desperately wished she hadn't come.
"Look who it is!? We meet again."
She wanted to reach for Andy, but he wasn't there, or even within eyeshot.
She could feel the tightness building in the back of her throat, and she was afraid if she opened her mouth to say something, nothing would come out. Or worse, something kind.
The hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make her skin crawl. What could he possibly want from her?
He wreaked of booze and cigarettes. From what she could remember, it seemed like he hadn't changed much. He was clearly drunk, and when he was drunk he was difficult. She couldn't stand the thought of being around that tonight. She needed to focus on finding Andy, and leaving.
The last thing she wanted was to look anxious, but they way her eyes kept scanning the crowd, had to be a giveaway.
Her plan was to ignore him for as long as possible until either he wandered off or Andy came back. Based on experience, she knew how long this guy could boast about himself.
"Come on. We barely talked the last time I saw you. You're not being very nice to an old friend you haven't seen in years. I'm interested in hearing how you're doing."
His words made her sick. He was hardly a friend and she knew damn well what he was doing. Drunk or not.
"Callum, you're drunk and quite frankly, even if you weren't I still wouldn't want to be talking to you right now. So why don't you just go back inside, and we can enjoy our nights separately."
"Or, you can stop being such a frigid bitch like you always have been, and loosen up a bit."
The smile had left his face and when he took a step closer she wanted to scream, but she found herself frozen.
"Just relax…" his hand slid around her waist, and she could feel his breath getting closer on her neck.
Too many horrible flashbacks of yelling, crying, throwing, and all the other moments that made up the worst part of her life came flooding back to her. The part that she had tried to forget.
Her adrenaline was pumping and without thinking, she threw her arms out, pushing him with full force. He stumbled backward and starting mumbling curse words. This made him significantly more angry.
She had seen this anger once before. Of all the hell he had put her through, she wouldn't cower as easily as she used to this time around. She was a grown woman now, who had finally got her life under control and she wasn't going to deal with this man again.
"What's your problem anyway, Virginia? I always treated you well. We were good together. Good looking, made good money, you had enough ambition to drive both of us, and then one day you were gone."
Her hands instinctively wrapped around her torso. It's what she naturally did to calm her nerves, but it was then she remembered she had something more to protect than herself. She didn't answer him. She didn't want to dignify such a pathetic question with an answer.
"I was the first person who actually gave a damn about you, likely the only one and this is how you treat me?"
She knew how this went. He would go off on a rant of how worthless and ungrateful she was, until he worked himself up so much, he'd get violent. She definitely wasn't having that, especially if she was pregnant.
She took a step back, and replied calmly -like she would when she tried to calm a patient- "You have no idea what you're saying. You don't know me anymore, you don't know the life I have and so let's just calm down.."
He hadn't even let her finish speaking before he was backing her up against a wall, hand on her throat.
There were tears in her eyes now, as he brought his lips right to her ears. "You lost your only chance at being happy in life." She shivered from his worm words against her skin, and the dark memory of the smell of alcohol on his breath she'd dealt with so many times before.
Her muffled cries and the odd 'no' was all she was using to fight back. She found herself in the same position she'd been before. She so felt vulnerable, she was pleading at this point for him to stop. "Why should I show mercy on you, when you had absolutely no regard for me when you left."
Tears were dripping down her cheeks, and she could barely speak, but the words came out of her mouth so quickly, it was like an instinct. "because, I-I'm p-pregnant…"
If by some miracle she was with-child, she wasn't going to let this asshole take that from her.
"How?" His attitude had changed and he was downright confused. His hands dropped and he backed off.
"You told me you couldn't get pregnant, and now all of a sudden you can?"
She took a deep breath, gasping from his release. Her hands were still held tightly around her middle.
"And by who? That guy from the restaurant?"
Before Virginia could answer, they were interrupted by another voice from across the balcony.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Andy came flying, hands balled into fists. He saw the tears on her face, and her defensive stance.
Once he was close enough he could see her bloodshot eyes, and reddened neck. Her face was pale and damp with sweat; It looked like she'd been through hell and back. "What the hell did you do to her you lousy piece of shit…"
The angry lieutenant took the guy's neck in his hands and threw him against the wall. This man clearly had at least fifty pounds on him, but Andy definitely had the advantage. When there was no answer, he gave him a shake and let him go. Remembering who he was, and where they were. He wasn't about to lose his badge over some asshole trying to rough up an innocent woman.
The man bent over, grasping his neck, catching his breath. It seemed like he had backed off. Andy turned to Virginia and held her shoulders, as he examined her face. "Did he hurt you? Should I call it in?"
She already felt so much safer now that Andy was by her side, but her heart was still racing and all she wanted was to be out of the situation. There was now a small crowd of people that had watched Andy rough the guy up, and it felt like a thousand eyes were on her. She didn't want more stress. "No, Andy I'm fine. I just want to go home. Take me home."
He took off his jacket, and put it around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead and turned to the other man, for one last word. "If you ever come near my wife again, I will pulverize you to a pulp, and I know exactly how to get away with it."
He muttered the words through his teeth with such intensity that his jaw was shaking as he spoke. He was looking this guy straight in the eye, and based on the reaction he got, his point was made clear.
He wrapped his arm around Virginia as they walked back into the house and out the front door, avoiding as many people as possible. No one inside had seen or heard any of what had happened, which made it easier to slip out without being noticed.
Once they were in the driveway, Andy held the door for her to get in. When they got back on the road, he was the first to break the silence. "So, what exactly happened once I left? Is there something I should know before we get home?"
She shook her head, squeezing her crossed arms to her chest. There was a few seconds of nothing before she changed the subject. "I heard what you said to him."
He wasn't proud that she had heard him utter a death threat, as an officer for the LAPD, but he meant every word. "Oh," was all he said.
There was a slight pause. "You called me your wife."
"I… what?" He thought about it for a moment, and he couldn't remember saying it. "No I don't think I d-"
"Yes you did, you said 'if you touch my wife again'."
He honestly couldn't remember saying that part at all. He just remembered having a whole lot of hatred toward the guy, and then threatening to kill him if he hurt Virginia again. Had he called her his wife?
"Oh… Well, I never really thought about, I just kind of said what I was feeling in the moment."
He wasn't sure where this conversation was going. Would she be mad at him? Was this causing her more anxiety? "Are you upset about it?"
Andy looked over at her, and she didn't seem upset. "No," was her short answer, but her hands were still shaky and he could tell by her short breaths that she wasn't feeling any better. He had an idea. He allowed silence to fill the car once more, until he pulled into a parking lot.
She grew nervous again. "Andy, where are we? I thought we were going home."
"I thought it'd be a nice place to come, since you're still upset. Just trust me."
When they stepped out of the car, the breeze was cooler than it had been when they had started driving.
He took her by the hand and lead her a block down the road. At least her dress was keeping her warm, as it trailed behind her, blowing in the wind. He admired her hair, and how her make-up had managed to stay intact, after all that had happened that night. It was like a scene from a movie.
They came close enough to their destination and until waves could be heard. "It might be a little too cold for a swim, but I thought we could just take a walk."
She gave him a small smile, and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arm in his. They walked a little down the beach arm-in-arm, until Virginia started feeling a little better. "When I told you he was an old friend, I wasn't being one hundred percent truthful."
"I figured that much." Came his response. He knew something had went on between them, but he didn't want to assume, and push her to answer a question that may only bring up the past. He had no idea how bad it had really been.
He let her continue, not wanting to badger her with questions. He knew that she would share when she was ready. "We were together for a year in university."
She took a deep breath before continuing. If Andy was serious enough to accidentally call her his wife, then he was ready to know this part of her past. "We had friends in common, and I guess he somehow found out about me and then he wouldn't leave me alone for weeks. I hadn't ever had a serious relationship before then, and so I was flattered by all the attention I was getting. He knew literally nothing about me, except for how I looked. A lot of guys back then saw the way i looked and assumed I was like all the other pretty girls, but once they actually talked to me and found out I was different, they fled. Accept Callum. I don't know why, but he was willing to overlook my Aspergers. Of course neither of us knew that's what it was at the time, so he probably just assumed I was a little quirky. We went out a few times and he was kind of nice to me back then. He would pay for my dinner, and show me off to all his friends, but once we started disagreeing is when it went downhill. He would verbally abuse me and talk down to me like a was a child. He treated me like a possession, telling where to go, who to talk to and how I was supposed to act. The night I told him I was considering transferring, he got so angry he hit me for the first time. It went on for some time after that. He made me feel like there wasn't a way out. He would tell me that I had no where else to go. If I didn't stay with him I would end up alone because no one else would want me. I gave my virginity to him, and he said I was used goods."
Her voice cut off there, and he could tell it was binging back horrible memories for her. "You don't have to keep going."
She cleared her throat and held on to him tighter. "No. You deserve to know."
"I never told anyone about this at the time. I was too embarrassed. One day my friend Marcie told me that she had heard people talking about Callum planning to propose to me. He had a ring picked out and everything and I got so scared that I just packed up and left a few days later. I guess thats what it took for me to realize that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life with that dirt bag."
Andy smiled at the use of his catch phrase. He must have been wearing off on her after all that time.
"He told me so many times that we were going to stay together and have children one day and we would be happy because he could handle me. He made himself sound like such a hero for being able to put up with me. So, I lied to him when he brought it up and told him i was infertile and I couldn't have children. I got scared and I just said it without thinking. But after that, he never bothered me about it again."
She stopped, but this time she wasn't upset. He could tell she was thinking. He tried figuring out why, but nothing came to mind.
"That's the reason he was so angry tonight."
Andy didn't understand. He shook his head, on confusion. "That doesn't make sense."
She stopped walking and stood facing him. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake. He was looking deeply into her eyes, trying to see what she was thinking.
"He was mad because he found out I lied to him. I can get pregnant."
"But why would you-"
She saw the thought cross his mind as he slowly began processing what she'd said. His eyes grew wide and he looked down at her stomach and then back up.
"Are you…? Is that what you were…? Virginia are you saying you're pregnant?"
"I don't know for sure, but I've been gaining a lot of weight lately, my feet are getting swollen and my libido has increased significantly."
He was still frozen, like he didn't a direct answer to be able to accept what he was hearing.
How could he not have seen it sooner? It all made sense now. Her insecurities, her extremely creative meal choices and all the many, many times they'd been late for work or went to bed later than Virginia usually insisted on. He said the words in his head over and over again, but it still didn't seem real.
"Yes Andy, there is a good chance I am pregnant."